Free Agent Moves and Major Trades

[theohall]

Jay Bouwmeester is 32, has 3 years left on his contract, and is left handed. Edmonton is unlikely to want this player. Plus, he has a no trade clause. This is a tough player to move, even if you wanted to. A cap stricken team retain salary and pay for an empty roster spot? Good luck.

EDIT: Now I'm not brushed up on the rules for the expansion draft and if the NTC in his contract protects him. That may be your best bet to see Bouwmeester hit the bricks.

Per JR, the NTC is not the same as a "no movement" clause which would require protecting him. Bouwmeester is eligible to be selected in the expansion draft, I just don't think he will be. If the Blues protect him, Army is a moron.

[theohall]

Rattie signed a one year, one way deal. I'll assume a roster spot is his.

One would hope, but given the coaching staff, I'm not sure a 650K one-way deal is enough for management to care if they keep him on the big club full time.

[theohall]

Aug 15 Jimmy Vesey LW becomes UFA - if he doesn't sign with Buffalo before then.

He better damn well be a target.

[cardsfan04]

Jay Bouwmeester is 32, has 3 years left on his contract, and is left handed. Edmonton is unlikely to want this player. Plus, he has a no trade clause. This is a tough player to move, even if you wanted to. A cap stricken team retain salary and pay for an empty roster spot? Good luck.

EDIT: Now I'm not brushed up on the rules for the expansion draft and if the NTC in his contract protects him. That may be your best bet to see Bouwmeester hit the bricks.

Agreed. Bousmeester is untradable. I've heard that nobody expects him to waive his NTC. And, even if he did, who is going to take on that contract? It wouldn't make sense to retain part of his contract either. The issue isn't that he sucks. It's that he isn't worth $5.4mil or whatever he's earning. If you retain half of his salary, you're probably replacing him with somebody worse for a similar cap hit when adding in the retained salary.

He should definitely not be protected in the expansion draft though. Never know, he might be one of the better unprotected players. At least give them the option to take him off our hands.

[ecbm]

Bouwmeester is eligible to be selected in the expansion draft, I just don't think he will be. If the Blues protect him, Army is a moron.

No chance he's selected. I'm sure the Blues realize that and won't protect him.

Why should Edmonton take on Bouwmeester's

Why is Edmonton the only potential trade partner? Anyone GM with their head out of their ass would have getting him and his contract off this team as a priority.

over-priced Bouwmeester

So we agree that Army isn't the bestest GM ever.

Trades aren't in a vacuum.

That seems to be your oversight. Rattie is a thrown-in. No, he wouldn't be high on their depth chart but given that Edmonton feels they have the depth to bump someone up into Hall's spot, Rattie would be slated to compete for the slot vacated. You know, many Blues fans strongly disagree with Hitchcock's determination that guys like Pajaarvi and Ott are more effective forwards than Rattie. The real return for Edmonton is on defense-Bouwmeester absolutely does improve their D corps and bring veteran presence and if the Blues were willing to retain some salary I believe he could be desirable. That especially considering that in Schmaltz, they're getting a prospect who projects to be and so far has been comparable to Larsson.

So, no, that trade wouldn't have gotten Hall if I'm Edmonton

But you aren't Edmonton, so this is your opinion. Nothing more or less than mine.

[theohall]

That seems to be your oversight. Rattie is a thrown-in. No, he wouldn't be high on their depth chart but given that Edmonton feels they have the depth to bump someone up into Hall's spot, Rattie would be slated to compete for the slot vacated. You know, many Blues fans strongly disagree with Hitchcock's determination that guys like Pajaarvi and Ott are more effective forwards than Rattie. The real return for Edmonton is on defense-Bouwmeester absolutely does improve their D corps and bring veteran presence and if the Blues were willing to retain some salary I believe he could be desirable. That especially considering that in Schmaltz, they're getting a prospect who projects to be and so far has been comparable to Larsson.

Would you please look at Edmonton's roster and tell me who Rattie would supposedly replace??

Eberle
Nugent Hopkins
Lucic
Pouliot
McDavid
Puljujarvi
Draisaitl
Kassian
Maroon

That's their top 9 - and Rattie isn't a 4th liner or an effective 4th liner. Would he beat out Yakupov? Maybe, but it would be as a non-effective 4th liner. Those top 9 are going to log the ice time while the 4th line guys will be lucky to reach 7-8 minutes per game.

No, I'm not Edmonton but why take on an older, clearly slowing, veteran d-man with a higher salary than a lower priced, longer term, currently better playing, younger defenseman.

If Bouwmeester were tradeable, he'd probably be gone by now to make room for the other LD in the system which aren't getting a shot because of his friggin' over-paid salary (yes, that was a damn mistake) which seems to require the team to play him and Hitchcock's ridiculous insistence on always playing him with Pietrangelo.

Bouwmeester isn't tradeable with his current age, salary, and clearly deteriorating skills. If some goober like me can watch the NHL playoffs and see every team work on forcing entries on Bouwmeester's side of the ice when he is on the ice and seeing those teams skate past him with ease, the other GMs in the league are seeing it, too. It would be nice to lose Bouwmeester and his contract, but it is extremely unrealistic to expect that to actually happen given how much free scouting GMs got on Bouwmeester during the playoffs.

But keep living in Blues dreamland where no other GM can see the Blues players flaws.

[Oaklandblue]

That seems to be your oversight. Rattie is a thrown-in. No, he wouldn't be high on their depth chart but given that Edmonton feels they have the depth to bump someone up into Hall's spot, Rattie would be slated to compete for the slot vacated. You know, many Blues fans strongly disagree with Hitchcock's determination that guys like Pajaarvi and Ott are more effective forwards than Rattie. The real return for Edmonton is on defense-Bouwmeester absolutely does improve their D corps and bring veteran presence and if the Blues were willing to retain some salary I believe he could be desirable. That especially considering that in Schmaltz, they're getting a prospect who projects to be and so far has been comparable to Larsson.

Would you please look at Edmonton's roster and tell me who Rattie would supposedly replace??

Eberle
Nugent Hopkins
Lucic
Pouliot
McDavid
Puljujarvi
Draisaitl
Kassian
Maroon

That's their top 9 - and Rattie isn't a 4th liner or an effective 4th liner. Would he beat out Yakupov? Maybe, but it would be as a non-effective 4th liner. Those top 9 are going to log the ice time while the 4th line guys will be lucky to reach 7-8 minutes per game.

No, I'm not Edmonton but why take on an older, clearly slowing, veteran d-man with a higher salary than a lower priced, longer term, currently better playing, younger defenseman.

If Bouwmeester were tradeable, he'd probably be gone by now to make room for the other LD in the system which aren't getting a shot because of his friggin' over-paid salary (yes, that was a damn mistake) which seems to require the team to play him and Hitchcock's ridiculous insistence on always playing him with Pietrangelo.

Bouwmeester isn't tradeable with his current age, salary, and clearly deteriorating skills. If some goober like me can watch the NHL playoffs and see every team work on forcing entries on Bouwmeester's side of the ice when he is on the ice and seeing those teams skate past him with ease, the other GMs in the league are seeing it, too. It would be nice to lose Bouwmeester and his contract, but it is extremely unrealistic to expect that to actually happen given how much free scouting GMs got on Bouwmeester during the playoffs.

But keep living in Blues dreamland where no other GM can see the Blues players flaws.

Upfront, let us all agree, based on what Edmonton accepted from NJ that logic and common sense totally went out the window on this trade.

Since I suggested Boomer (50%) + Schmatz + Rattie, I will explain why I suggested this.

Before I do, it should have be absolutely obvious that Rattie was a throw-in to acquire Hall. Edmonton needs an experienced Dman and Rattie in this suggestion is a + to this trade; a prospect forward being added to their offensive depth.

Boomer is an experienced, seasoned Dman with gas left in the tank, very similar in size and stature to Adam Larsson and can play minutes as a first line Dman right now. We retain 50% salary on Boomer (2.2m) to help dispel any age concerns and to entice Edmonton to get the deal done. We would be taking on 6m a year x 4 for Taylor Hall, which gives us a legitimate first line forward under contract for the next four years.

Schmaltz, like Rattie, is a prospect who is almost ready to step into a role as a Dman, giving Edmonton a legitmate Dman prospect (#25 Overall, 2012) in their system for their build-up in a year or two or possibly right now.

Add in Ty Rattie (32nd overall, 2011), who has consecutive 40 point seasons in the AHL and gives them another offense weapon to bring up and this trade offer makes a ridiculous amount of sense for Edmonton to accept. The reason they didn't is because this isn't the deal we offered.

The deal I put forward is what I FEEL Hall is worth to us. Edmonton instead accepted a deal for a depth Dman only. I don't see how anyone can argue the deal I put forward as being a bad one, in fact it surprises me that more people don't voice how Edmonton let NJ rip them off.

[Oaklandblue]

Aug 15 Jimmy Vesey LW becomes UFA - if he doesn't sign with Buffalo before then.

He better damn well be a target.

He's a prospect, of course we'll go after him. Army prefers to live life on the cheap.

[cardsfan04]

Aug 15 Jimmy Vesey LW becomes UFA - if he doesn't sign with Buffalo before then.

He better damn well be a target.

He's a prospect, of course we'll go after him. Army prefers to live life on the cheap.

That's an odd criticism of a GM that doesn't have much cap space.

[WaukeeBlues]

Aug 15 Jimmy Vesey LW becomes UFA - if he doesn't sign with Buffalo before then.

He better damn well be a target.

He's a prospect, of course we'll go after him. Army prefers to live life on the cheap.

Word on the street is that Vesey desperately wants to play for Boston and basically only Boston. Who I'm sure would be more than happy to have him.

I give it about 1% chance the Blues could land him.

[goon attack]

Rattie signed a one year, one way deal. I'll assume a roster spot is his.

One would hope, but given the coaching staff, I'm not sure a 650K one-way deal is enough for management to care if they keep him on the big club full time.

I hope they are just taking one last "all-in" approach on Rattie. Time for him to step up.

[ecbm]

I'm not buying the "Bouwmeester is untradeable" line. Philly got quality return onBraydon Coburn and the ghost of Kimmo Timonen a year ago. Those guys were no better bets than Bouwmeester is now. I'd accept a lot less than the 1st, 3rd & roster player they got for Coburn or the 2nd & 4th they got for Timonen. You'd have to be motivated and possibly creative to move him but it could be done.

In the 2016-17 NHL, Rattie could be one hell of a 4th-liner. Also, he's still young and has high upside; competition for spots in any squad is good; he could also be flipped. Et cetera. He has value.

Since I need to point it out again, the trade offer mentioned here involves Jordan Schmaltz-there's no particular reason to believe Adam Larsson will be that much better than him. Bouwmeester is just a bridge to Schmaltz.

I can accept that Edmonton might not accept the offer but to say it's ludicrous and to cover for Army by saying it's insane and shouting down anyone who suggests he could have done better is quite lame.

it surprises me that more people don't voice how Edmonton let NJ rip them off.

Many are-but they're not Blues fans who for some reason feel the need to carry water for Armstrong.

[Toasted Oates]

Upfront, let us all agree, based on what Edmonton accepted from NJ that logic and common sense totally went out the window.

Boomer is an experienced, seasoned Dman with gas left in the tank, very similar in size and stature to Adam Larsson and can play minutes as a first line Dman right now. We retain 50% salary on Boomer (2.2m) to help dispel any age concerns and to entice Edmonton to get the deal done. We would be taking on 6m a year x 4 for Taylor Hall, which gives us a legitimate first line forward under contract for the next four

The deal I put forward is what I FEEL Hall is worth to us. Edmonton instead accepted a deal for a depth Dman only. I don't see how anyone can argue the deal I put forward as being a bad one, in fact it surprises me that more people don't voice how Edmonton let NJ rip them off.

Any reasonable person would say the Devils got the best player in that Hall trade. But Larsson is not a "depth Dman." Go look up his numbers. When you factor in his age, cap hit, ice time, hits, and blocked shots, he has already surpassed Bouwmeester as an NHL defensemen. Offensively they're about the same, but Larsson has him just about everywhere else.

Yeah, Bouw plays top pairing minutes (so does Larsson, by the way), but that doesn't mean he should. I also can't believe you alluded to his size and stature as if he ever uses those attributes.

Not to mention Bouwmeester's no trade clause and the well known fact that the Oilers are looking for right handed defensemen.

Jay is here to stay.

[ecbm]

he has already surpassed Bouwmeester as an NHL defensemen

This is why you'd throw in Schmaltz, who projects to be as good as Larsson or better. This is often how this works-to get the carrot of the high-end prospect they have to take the guy we want to move. Could be a win-win for both sides because as constructed when the trade was made, the Oilers D would be improved by Bouwmeester. Admittedly, not as much as it would be by adding Larsson immediately but given that it's pretty insane for Edmonton to expect to make much noise next year and given how close Schmaltz is, what difference would that make?

[cardsfan04]

I'm not buying the "Bouwmeester is untradeable" line. Philly got quality return onBraydon Coburn and the ghost of Kimmo Timonen a year ago. Those guys were no better bets than Bouwmeester is now. I'd accept a lot less than the 1st, 3rd & roster player they got for Coburn or the 2nd & 4th they got for Timonen. You'd have to be motivated and possibly creative to move him but it could be done.

In the 2016-17 NHL, Rattie could be one hell of a 4th-liner. Also, he's still young and has high upside; competition for spots in any squad is good; he could also be flipped. Et cetera. He has value.

Since I need to point it out again, the trade offer mentioned here involves Jordan Schmaltz-there's no particular reason to believe Adam Larsson will be that much better than him. Bouwmeester is just a bridge to Schmaltz.

I can accept that Edmonton might not accept the offer but to say it's ludicrous and to cover for Army by saying it's insane and shouting down anyone who suggests he could have done better is quite lame.

it surprises me that more people don't voice how Edmonton let NJ rip them off.

Many are-but they're not Blues fans who for some reason feel the need to carry water for Armstrong.

He has a full NTC and JR has said that he's not expected to waive it. It takes more than creativity. It takes Bouwmeester being willing to waive his NTC which is apparently not going to happen.

[ecbm]

He has a full NTC and JR has said that he's not expected to waive it.

Hmph. Well, what was it Tupac said? Oh yeah: a bitch is gonna be a bitch. Right. That was it. If this is the case, it would probably help if Hitch started giving him the minutes/role on this team his play deserves: 3rd pairing.

I can't stand how these clauses are given out like candy. It's basically a prospective employee telling you: I won't work for you unless you guarantee me I can not be fired or demoted for lack of performance.

[glen a richter]

99% of St. Louis, from what I can surmise, carries the water for everyone in the Blues organization, which is why we're still waiting for a Cup. If the media would be attack dogs from time to time, things might improve. Shit players think they're gods because no one tells them otherwise.

[glen a richter]

Binnington and Copley both re-signed which means Husso starts in the ECHL. One year in ECHL, one year in AHL, he'll be here in 3 which, lo and behold, is when Hutton won't be here. I see the goalie plan a little clearer now.

[KrustyKevo]

Why hasn't Hudler been signed yet? He's still putting up decent numbers.

[ecbm]

Binnington and Copley both re-signed which means Husso starts in the ECHL.

Binnington was re-signed? To play in the AHL? Ahead of Husso?



I have a feeling that situation will resolve itself fairly quickly.

And I guess it makes sense for Fitzpatrick to stay in juniors for a year...considering he's sucked at that level for two seasons.